Letters: Greatest nation

January 07, 2013

The story about Dr. Perry Brickman’s experiences at Emory reminded me of a colleague of similar age. He’s a retired Jewish dentist who played football at University of Tennessee. Since he was a big defensive lineman, his fellow d-liners called him a name with a derogatory slur. He told me he never liked that, but tolerated it as part of the South’s culture. Many years later, at a class reunion, those same teammates came up to him to offer their sincere apologies.

I remember when we arrived in Miami, from Cuba, in 1961. My parents were looking to rent a small room to get started in America. It was not uncommon to see signs that read "No Cubans, No Blacks, No Pets." I’ve never received any apologies and don’t really expect them, but I can see the other side of this and the pain it has to cause exemplary persons like Dr. Brickman, who were born in the U.S. and still treated in that manner. I believe America is the greatest nation and would live nowhere else, but even we are not perfect or infallible.